Welcome! This is written primarily for people with Type 2 Diabetes. Some information covers all types of diabetes. Always keep a positive attitude is my motto.
I am a person with diabetes type 2 and write about my experiences and research. Please discuss medical problems with your doctor. Please do not click on the advertisers that have attached to certain words in this section. They are not authorized and are robbing me by doing so.

March 4, 2017

Do You Understand Hypoglycemia? – Part 4

Avoiding all episodes of hypoglycemia
may be impossible for many people, especially since maintaining tight
blood glucose control brings with it a higher risk of hypoglycemia.

However, the following tips may help to
prevent excessive lows:

Know how your medicines work and
when they have their strongest action.

Work with your diabetes care team
to coordinate your medicines or insulin with your eating plan. Meals
and snacks should be timed to coordinate with the activity of your
medicine or insulin.

Learn how to count carbohydrates
so you can keep your carbohydrate intake consistent at meals and
snacks from day to day. Variations in carbohydrate intake can lead
to hypoglycemia.

Have carbohydrate-containing foods
available in the places you frequent, such as in your car or at the
office, to avoid delays in treatment of hypoglycemia.

Develop a plan with your diabetes
care team to adjust your food, medicine, or insulin for changes in
activity or exercise.

Discuss how to handle sick days
and situations where you have trouble eating with your diabetes
team.

Always check your blood glucose
level to verify any symptoms of hypoglycemia. Keep your meter with
you, especially in situations where risk of hypoglycemia is
increased.

Wear a medical alert
identification tag.

Always treat blood glucose levels
of 70 mg/dl or less whether or not you have symptoms.

If you have symptoms of
hypoglycemia and do not have your blood glucose meter available,
treatment is recommended.

If you have hypoglycemia
unawareness, you may need to work with your diabetes care team to
modify your blood glucose goals or treatment plan.

Check your blood glucose level
frequently during the day and possibly at night, especially if you
have hypoglycemia unawareness, are pregnant, or have exercised
vigorously within the past 24 hours.

Check your blood glucose level
before driving or operating machinery to avoid any situations that
could become dangerous if hypoglycemia occurred.

Check the expiration date on your
glucagon emergency kit once a year and replace it before it expires.

Discuss alcohol intake with your
diabetes care team. You may be advised not to drink on an empty
stomach and/or to increase your carbohydrate intake if alcohol is an
option for you. If you drink, always check your blood glucose level
before bed and eat any snacks that are scheduled in your food plan.

Although hypoglycemia can, at times, be
unpleasant, don’t risk your health by allowing your blood glucose
levels to run higher than recommended to avoid it. Meet with your
diabetes care team to develop a plan to help you achieve the best
possible blood glucose control safely and effectively. Think
positive, and learn to be prepared with measures to prevent and
promptly treat hypoglycemia should it occur.

I hope that this and the three previous
blogs have given you something to think about when hypoglycemia is
mentioned. Hypoglycemia should not be taken lightly and there are
many great suggestions for a variety of people.

The one point that I feel was excluded
is when a person injects the incorrect insulin and does not realize
it. When I first started insulin, I made this mistake several times
(injecting bolus insulin when I should have injected basal insulin).
For those unfamiliar with insulin, reading this may add confusion or
make the discussion clear.

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About Me

I am enjoying life, despite diabetes type 2. I am retired and enjoying the time I have for writing and photography. I was diagnosed with type 2 on Oct 2003, on oral meds for 4 months and they were doing nothing to really improve my daily readings. By cutting my carbohydrates I received the most improvement, but still not enough. Then I requested insulin, even though I did not like the thought of needles. That brought about the biggest change and A1c's in the lower 6's and upper 5's. Now I am working at maintaining them under 6.0 and hopefully nearer 5.5.